This equinox looks at the nobel prize winning physicist Murray Gell-Mann. Gell-Mann was a contemporary of Richard Feynman (they shared the same secretary at CalTech) and coined the 'Quark' model of elementary particles which he called 'the 8-fold way' - both names reflect his other interests (Quark was a word that originated from James Joyce and the 8-fold way was from Buddhism; Gell-Mann wanted to study archaeology before he opted for physics). His second wife says he is also known to practice bush-man clicks when taking a shower.

In his later years Gell-Mann has shifted from exploring fundamental particles to exploring the relationship between the simple and the complex (popularly known as 'Complexity' theory) and developing a multi-disciplinary research centre for the purpose - The Santa Fe Institute (which the latter part of the film explores).